Public Statements

Statement

Out-of-control federal spending - the root of the nation's economic troubles - was totally ignored in the Senate-passed "fiscal cliff" legislation, leading Congressman John Carter to vote against House passage of the bill.

"The Democrats have spent America into this mess, and unless we make serious cuts in federal spending we will become Greece," says Carter. "It is an incredible outrage that this so-called compromise included virtually no spending cuts, only tax and spending hikes, which is precisely why we are in this mess to begin with," says Carter. The former Texas judge was the only member of Republican leadership to vote against both the Bush Administration TARP bailout program and the Obama Stimulus on the same fiscal grounds.

Carter will end his three-term tenure as House Republican Conference Secretary when the new Congress is sworn in Thursday. The former Texas judge will instead serve as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security for the 113th Congress.

In separate action today, Carter voted to block President Obama's last minute attempt to sneak through an executive order to give federal bureaucrats nationwide an $11 billion pay hike, including the Vice President, Obama Administration workers, and Congress.

"This attempt shows just how out of touch this Administration is with the economic challenges facing our nation," says Carter. "With America drowning in debt and deficit spending, this President is unilaterally trying to add more red ink by giving taxpayer dollars to federal bureaucrats, and trying to add Congress into the mix as cover. This House is the only federal entity that has frozen its pay and cut its budget by 11% over the last four years, and the President this week sought to undermine those actions. This is prime evidence of why we must stop this spending frenzy if we are to save our nation from bankruptcy."